Bearing 39-Bushing 40 upgrade on Alphas/Pixy/Sol

[ChuckE]

I recently moded several Alphas-itos, Pixies, and a Sol with the bearing 39 and bushing 40 upgrade that has been discussed on the forum in previous posts. (This mod involved replacing the factory Worm Shaft Bushing (holder) located beneath the gear that is attached to the Level Wind shaft with a smaller bushing and 5x8x2.5 ball bearing in order to improve level wind performance.) I had an opportunity to compare the performance of the modified reels to non-modified during my recent Canada trip

[This mod is fairly straight forward, but does involve parial disassembly of the reel. (There have been several previous posts on the mod by other forum members, and you can do a search to find them.) To make the mod, it will be necessary to get a Worm Shaft Collar [Part #40 Part No. G01-0701] and a Ball Bearing B [Part #39, Part No F05-5601] for the TD-Z103H/105H.]

Observations/Conclusions:
Overall, the level wind performance of the reels that were modified was better than those that were not:
1. When line is reeled onto the spool while fighting a fish or while cranking a heavier lure (e.g. heavy crankbait or chatterbait), the performance of the level wind was generally smoother. Many times, you could look at the spool and see that the line had laid slightly better when the line was reeled in(less overlap and/or tendency to 'dig in'), especially on thinner diameter lines. However, this was usually less noticable with thicker or smoother finished lines.
2. When reeling free line or reeling in a very light lure (~<1/4 oz), there was very little difference that could be determined in the operation of the worm or level wind guide between modded an non-modded reels.
3. When line was being peeled from the reel under drag, line played more smoothly off the reel, especially when the line was at the farthest edges on either side of the spool. On non-modified reels, the Guide sometimes exerted enough force on the worm when at the farthest sides of the spool, to cause the pawl to be a little erattic when switching worm tapers. This frequently tended to cause the drag to feel like it "pulsed" very so slightly on non-modded reels, and wasn't observed on modded reels. Since the Level Wind Guide moves when line is peeled under drag on a Daiwa reel, the bearing appears to have improved performance of the worm/pawl in this condition by better centering of the pawl, and handling of axial loads on the worm.

If you are one who strives to 'eek' out the most performance from your reels, you may want to consider this mod on your Alphas, Pixies, Sol, etc. The cost for parts runs about $12/reel plus shipping from Daiwa. However, If you only occassionally use your reels or don't spend a lot of time on the water, then you may not appreciate the performance improvement from the upgrade. The upgrade won't necessarily turn a Pixy into a TD-ito, but it is definately a step in that direction, and it will give you a chance to "tinker" (like DR says).

....jmo

chuck

[Bass Pro]

Geat info Chuck!

I'm going to do this upgrade in the near future. Heck, it's about the only thing I got left that I can do to the Alphas

[D.R.]

Way to go chuckE

D.R.

[SpecksReds]

Hey ChuckE I tried to order the set myself from Daiwa and they informed me that some guy named Chuck had bought them all and they were on backorder. . Can't wait to try it myself I'm curios ts the bearing mounted on the inside of the reel right under the gear?

[D.R.]

Spec,

It was not Chuck. It was me. I ordered all the bearings they had in stock last Thursday. Thay did not have the plastic spacer. I will make my own.

Sorry.

D.R.

[SpecksReds]

Hey D.R. they told me the bearing was available but the collar wasn't so it's on backorder. How are you making your own?

[D.R.]

I take the bushing out and sand the large end dowm to 2 MM with a 1" wide table belt sander and a cut off screw driver handle that the bushing fits over. I drilled a hole for a split pin about 3 mm back from the tip, put in a pin and ground down the end untill it was 2 mm.

hence= special tool.

D.R.

[ChuckE]

specks,
Yes, that bushing is on the handle side of the reel frame, right under the gear that is attached to the worm shaft.

DR definately cleaned them out of bushings, I was told it would be a couple weeks before they get more in stock. However, they told me they had a good supply of bearings in stock, so he must not have got them all.

There is nothing special about the bearing, you can get them from just about any bearing supply house. It is the same size as the smaller pinion bearing found on the Daiwas, so you can use one of them if you have any spares. The bearing fits firmly into the bushing socket, providing a suitable mount for the bearing.

DR, neat idea on making your own bushing. I was going to make my own from some stock teflon that I have on hand, but modifiying the old bushing has potential. (It is just a spacer that sits above the bearing, to keep the worm gear meshing correctly with the handle drive gear, and even a small piece of hobby aluminum that has the correct i.d. (same as the worm o.d.) could be cut to the correct length.

Chuck

[SpecksReds]

I called Daiwa about the Worm Shaft Collar they said it would be a month before this part would be in .

D.R. do you have any picture's of your Special Tool in operation?

[D.R.]

Spec,

How many spacers and bearings do you need?

No I dont have any pictures, But I can take a few. It will be later this week. I am working 12 to 13 Hrs a day at present, plus My granddaughter (my trout fisherperson) is visiting for a few weeks. That is taking up all my free time. She Likes to bass fish when away from the mountains. (she is the one I gave the 2 new TD-Z's too) Go figure.

D.R.

[SpecksReds]

D.R. just one.

[D.R.]

Spec,

I will post a picture tonight after work.

D.R.

[SpecksReds]

Thanks D.R.

[just4kix]

Chuck, you're very informative as usual! Thanks for all the work you and others like D.R. and SpecksReds (just to name a few) put into improving the tackle experience!

Hey Specks., that's a good one! Wonder if Daiwa is gonna start asking Chuck who's calling first before placing an order. Of course, they could alleviate the problem if they offer a deal on buying in bulk!

[SpecksReds]

Thanks Just4Kix . I to appreciate all the info I can glean from this forum.